Every Hoosier has a stake in the Occupation

As students we often feel insulated from the outside world — the ‘real’ world. College is the first time we are on our own, free to make our own decisions and lead our own lives.

It is four (or five, nowadays) years of transition between being a kid and an adult.
We are told to relish every moment of the college experience because this is the highlight of our youth before the long decline of adulthood.

Distractions are easy to come by and so we indulge ourselves. Some of us numb ourselves with alcohol and drugs, and we certainly have fun doing it.

Some of us keep busy by participating in clubs and studying hard every night.
Whatever your mix of distractions, how often do you find yourself thinking about where the world is and where it is headed?

How often do you question the norms of our culture or wonder about the consequences of our collective actions?

It’s easy to ignore the global, tragic consequences of our modern way of life. We live in a rich, stable nation. We don’t need to search for clean drinking water, and we don’t worry about where our next meal will come from.

We are the consumers of a consumption nation. It may be easy to criticize the government for wasteful spending, but what about us? Wasteful spending and mindless consumption are the values ingrained in us from birth.

Individually, our demand doesn’t amount to much, but the collective wants of the American people have literally moved mountains (anyone from West Virginia?) and shaped the destinies of not only our nation but all the world’s nations.

Materialism has corrupted the American youth. We are isolated from each other and are much more apt to draw divisions between people rather than embracing the amazing similarities we all share.

We protect ourselves from feeling vulnerable by making judgments before reaching understanding. It is easy to dismiss the problems of the world as “not my problem.” But we must realize that with a global economy, everything and everyone is
interconnected.

Every single consumer decision has a ripple effect, and it is difficult to even imagine the indirect consequences of say, ordering a sandwich from Jimmy John’s compared to making your own. We each play a part in creating the problems we see all around us, but we have the same power to solve those problems.  

But who cares? If the world is going to hell, what can we do about it? We are powerless students with a lot more on our minds than the climate crisis and those living in poverty.

This cynicism is pervasive in our society, and it feeds on our fears. Yes, the future is uncertain and can be scary. By thinking only of where we are headed personally in the next five years, we simplify our perception of the world and make ourselves feel more at ease.

It is natural for humans to create simplified models of reality, but we should not lie to ourselves. We cannot stay in a bubble our whole lives. I might never meet or see you, but there is no doubt in my mind that what you have planned for the future has an effect and influence on my destiny, and the reverse certainly applies.  

We can continue to ignore the starving poor by taking for granted the country and family we were born into, but we will never know true humility or compassion.

We can continue to pretend everything is normal and fine, or we can make the conscious decision to stop, think and see a brighter future. That is the starting point.
We are the masters of our collective destiny. Instead of reinforcing a broken system, we can be the beginning of a radical shift in American culture for the improvement of all.

I encourage everyone at IU to support Occupy Bloomington for this reason.

­— Sumner Nichols